Worry-free switch to Microsoft Exchange Online for AZ Sint-Blasius
Goodbye local Exchange Server, hello cloud
In 2022, Sint-Blasius General Hospital migrated approximately 1,500 of its employees' mailboxes from Microsoft Exchange on-premises to Microsoft Exchange Online. The healthcare institution made a decisive choice for the cloud, optimizing its (digital) operations and security.
AXI managed the project successfully: from preparation and implementation to post-migration follow-up.
AZ Sint-Blasius
Sint-Blasius General Hospital, with locations in Dendermonde and Zele, is a major healthcare institution in East Flanders with its 1,341 employees, 176 physicians, and 438 certified beds. The hospital is committed to the health of its population every day. Quality, innovation, a personal approach, and sustainability are central to this.
Optimizing the digital workplace and increasing security
Optimizing the digital workplace was the starting point for AZ Sint-Blasius when it started its internal discussions in 2021. The healthcare institution needed larger mailboxes for its employees' company inboxes and also wanted to integrate MS Teams and the intranet. It also wanted to increase mobility so that data from outside the hospital could be accessed, and enhancing security was a must. The hospital, which until recently worked with an on-premises Exchange Server, explored the possibilities and quickly became convinced of the benefits of the cloud. It decided to switch to Microsoft Exchange Online. AZ Sint-Blasius set up the project with its IT manager and System Engineer and configured the Exchange Hybrid Server and AAD Connect themselves. The first steps had been taken.
Microsoft Exchange Online: a match made in heaven for AZ Sint-Blasius
Microsoft Exchange Online, a cloud service, gives users access to their mailbox anytime, anywhere, regardless of their device. Emails, calendars, contacts, and tasks are always up-to-date and synchronized. Moreover, it's a secure alternative to a physical on-premises server and provides users with a mailbox with much greater capacity. A full mailbox is a thing of the past. In short: exactly what AZ Sint-Blasius was looking for.
Peace of mind for AZ Sint-Blasius
However, the migration for AZ Sint-Blasius gradually proved to be very time-consuming and also encountered several issues that required the assistance of an experienced expert. Consequently, in December 2021, AXI was approached to support the hospital with the migration of approximately 1,500 email accounts, the setup of the Exchange Online environment, and the integration with Active Directory.
Complete migration and deployment in just ten weeks
The project was completed in a total time of ten weeks and was approached step by step. The same procedure was followed throughout: first, an AXI project manager handled the necessary communication with the end users, then an AXI engineer carried out the migration. The engineer remained available at all times to provide the necessary support to the migrated users. If this went smoothly, new users were contacted using the same procedure. In the first week, the number of mailboxes migrated was deliberately limited. This allowed for the identification of any issues. The number of mailboxes to be migrated increased with each phase. Ultimately, a total of approximately 1,500 mailboxes were migrated.
After the migration, training was provided for the hospital's IT administrators so they could manage the remaining mailboxes themselves. AZ Sint-Blasius could also rely on the AXI helpdesk for questions or issues for a period of one month, thanks to the pre-agreed SLA.
Worth repeating
AXI delivered the project within the agreed timeline and budget, and looks back on a successful collaboration. Jeff De Smet, System Engineer at AZ Sint-Blasius, also reflects positively: “Thanks to AXI’s years of expertise and the hands-on technical knowledge of their engineer, the migration to Exchange Online went far more smoothly than we could have imagined. AXI provided complete peace of mind and significant time savings. The inevitable issues that arise in such a project were resolved quickly and efficiently. We would do it again in a heartbeat!”
The partnership will continue in the future. In addition to serving as the go-to partner for this project’s follow-up, AXI will soon upgrade the Exchange Server as well.
Photo credits: Filip Erkens
